It’s official. The new sports
car from Audi has been named the Audi R8. Presented
at Frankfurt Motor Show two years ago as the “Le
Mans quattro” concept, the new Audi sportscar
has been given the go-ahead for production.
Series production will commence in the fourth quarter
of 2006 at Audi’s Neckarsulm facility. 28 million
euros will be invested in the R8 production line.
The Audi subsidiary quattro GmbH will be responsible
for production. Development and test construction at
quattro GmbH and technical development at AUDI AG are
currently in full swing.
250 employees will work on
the production of the R8. The market launch is scheduled
for the second quarter of 2007.
“Through the R8 we are looking to build on our
successes in motorsport and carry them over to series
production.
This model represents Audi’s very
own interpretation of sportiness,” says Prof.
Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of AUDI AG.
Audi is relying on intelligent lightweight design for
its R8, a core area of expertise in Neckarsulm. The
Audi A2, A6 and A8 were all developed there at the aluminum
Centre using lightweight design technology. |